Martial Arts Lightsaber Paintings Slice Through the Dark

In his new Light Painting KATA series, Patrick Rochon makes fluid designs by moving around in a martial arts-inspired dance while holding custom lightsaber flashlights.

“The process is definitely a performance,” says Rochon, who lives in Montreal. “The movement I use is a way for me to express my feelings. I was like, here is my energy translated into an art form.”

Kata is in the title because it’s a Japanese word that refers to the kind of repetitive training or choreography that happens in martial arts.

All the photos are made in a completely dark room. Rochon says he moves, often to music, until he thinks he’s finished. Each exposure is between one and five minutes, and he usually has to do several takes before he’s satisfied. Occasionally, he only needs one.

“Sometimes I get into a different state of mind, and before I look at the camera, I know it’s going to be good,” he says.